


Missing words

by Dusklatte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Height Differences, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Post-Church Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romantic Fluff, Understandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 11:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30038163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: Seteth had been struggling for days to find the words which he so desperately needed to say to Byleth.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Seteth, My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	Missing words

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is my attempt at getting back into writing following on from a few month hiatus which I have had, and hopefully it is as fluffy to read as it felt to write! If you would rather not hear me ramble about why I had a hiatus, feel free to skip to start the fic! :)
> 
> Unfortunately, in early January, I had a breakdown far worse than any I have had before as a combination of working (and working from home), the stresses of home life, having trouble sleeping, and to wrap things all up nicely, a completely ruined daily routine which, due to the fact that I am autistic, wreaked havoc on my mental health. My mum had to put me in contact with the doctor because of how badly it had affected me, and as a result I have been off work sick for the past two months.   
> My colleagues have all been telling me to focus on myself rather than work, as has my family and doctor, and so I have spent a good part over this time just playing games (mostly Skyrim and Animal Crossing, with a bit of Fire Emblem and Persona 5 Strikers thrown in there), and over recent days, I have finally found myself beginning to get motivated to write once more... Right as I'm meant to go back to working tomorrow;;
> 
> For the time being, I am not going to focus on my ongoing fics, I am needing a bit more time to think about them and where I am going with them, and if necessary, decide whether I will continue with certain ones or not. I will be doing my best to keep up-to-date about this on my twitter ([@ClaudeEmblem](https://twitter.com/ClaudeEmblem))!!!
> 
> Anyway, I'll stop rambling now and let you fine folks read the Seteth/Byleth fluff!!

> _Professor,_
> 
> _If you are reading this letter, please proceed to meet at-_

Seteth frowned as he looked at the paper on his desk, before crumbling the page and started again. She was no longer a professor; she was a leader! A commander, an Archbishop! Not a mere professor...

> _Lady Eisner,_
> 
> _I am writing this letter to request that you meet me at-_

Inappropriate. This was a personal letter, not a formal one. She had to be addressed formally because of her position, but he had to find a way to make the rest of the letter sound casual! Another letter joined the growing pile of waste.

> _Lady Byleth_
> 
> _Please meet me at the Goddess Tower at sunset tonight. I have a request that I would like to…_

Seteth huffed as he disposed of yet another sheet of paper. He had decided to write the letter because verbally, he had attempted to make his request too many times to count, and had failed each and every time. He _knew_ what he wanted to say, but the trouble was coming from actually finding the words to convey it.

With a small sigh, he pulled out another piece of parchment, then ran his hand through his hair. All that he wanted to do was talk privately with her, about matters not revolving around the war or what had happened with Rhea. The Goddess Tower was an isolated enough place where they couldn’t be disturbed, but he didn’t want others to hear about this or else they would be eavesdropped on!

After a few minutes of contemplating, he decided that a letter simply wasn’t the best way to let her know. Instead, he simply tore off a corner of the paper (neatly, of course, he didn’t want her to believe that he was in trouble) and wrote three words on it – _Goddess Tower, sunset_. He would locate her, provide her with the note, and make his presence scarce before she could read it properly. In a way, it made him feel as though he was a misbehaving student passing notes in class, even though her days of teaching had been over for more than five years.

Steeling himself for what he was to do, he rose from his seat, and began to neaten out his desk so that he didn’t have to return to the current state that it was in. That, and should Byleth (or Sothis forbid, Flayn) were to enter, they would see no evidence of what he was wanting to request.

Before he could so much as step away from the desk though, a light knock on the door caught his attention, in addition to an oh-so familiar voice.

“Seteth… Is it possible for me to speak with you for a few minutes?”

_Byleth, the woman herself, was out there._

As he heard the door begin to creak open, he found his breath caught in the back of his throat. He had to quickly go over to where he had a glass of water and take a few deep sips in order to allow himself to at least come across as sounding more poised than his tensed-up posture was conveying.

“Ahem… I, ah… Yes, you may come in. Just… Please give me one moment.” He quickly shifted one of the novels which he had started writing in his free time in order to cover the note which up until that point had been in his hand. “There. You are free to enter now.”

Silently, Byleth entered the room, and just as quietly closed the door behind her. Much to his surprise though, she turned the key which he had left in the lock before pulling it out and clasping it in her hand. “Seteth… I know this may sound abrupt and I apologise if this comes across as rather blunt, but are things… working out?”

Her words felt like a dagger between his ribs.

“As of late… You have been avoiding me, barely able to start a conversation without turning tail and leaving me stood there, alone and confused. I’ve hardly seen you, and not even Flayn knows what the matter is,” she continued, her face mostly straight but with a hint of sadness in her eyes with the tears pricking at the corners. “Have I… Have I done something which has soured things between us?”

The dagger was twisted, trying to make him cry out in pain.

“Set- _Cichol,_ I… If everything between us is not-!”

The use of his name – his true name – had been enough to drag him out of the daze brought on by her initial words. “Byleth… By the Goddess, no… No, that isn’t what-“ In a few long strides, he made his way across the room, then brought his hand to her cheek and used his thumb to wipe away the tears which were beginning to stain her skin. “The way I have been behaving is… It is not your fault in the slightest, I promise. It is of my own doing.”

Her eyes, the beautiful shade of green which he so often found himself lost in, flicked up to meet his own as she brought her free hand upward and rested it against his. The cold of the ring which he had given her to show her his love and as a sign of their engagement was a stark contrast to the delicate warmth of her skin.

“If that is so…” her voice was a hushed whisper as she stood on her toes to rest their noses and foreheads together, and in response, he wrapped his arm around her waist in order to keep her stable. “You could have spoken to me, and I would have gladly helped you with handling whatever it is that is on your mind.”

A soft kiss was planted against his lips as he chuckled, followed by him shaking his head. “That… would be a problem, my dearest-” He stopped speaking as he gave her a chaste kiss in return for her own. “-for it is you who has been on my mind.”

Clearly she had not been expecting him to say that, as her eyes widened as she carefully flattened her feet on the ground once more and folded her arms over. “Me? Is this you worrying about how things will be… once I have fully taken on the mantle of Archbishop? I am currently only in role by name alone, but…”

Seteth sighed quietly as he embraced her, and rested his head in the crook of her neck. It took her a moment, but she reciprocated in kind. “It is nothing to do with that. I have actually been wanting to ask you if…”

_It was happening again; his words were unable to come to him._

A delicate hand brought its way up to behind his head, and her fingers slowly combed through his hair, occasionally brushing against the tips of his pointed ears.

“It is just us in here, Seteth. Nobody is here to judge, and nobody can interrupt. Just you and me. Take your time, I can be patient when I want to be.”

He couldn’t hold back the quiet laugh that he let out about her patience, knowing full well that her ability to wait only really extended to battle, very rarely outside of battle.

“Byleth… I have been wanting to ask of you…” He took a deep breath as he mentally braced himself. “If you would like to… end this waiting.”

A small, confused noise escaped her as she stopped her gentle reassurances momentarily. “What do you mean by that?”

“I did not think of this at the time where I proposed to you, but it has recently come to mind… That we do not have to wait until the day that we are wed,” he whispered to her, feeling somewhat relieved that now that he had started speaking, words were beginning to come naturally to him. He finally knew what he wanted to say. “We need not make it public, but we could exchange our vows in a small ceremony with those closest to us, most likely Flayn and your former students… Then when Fódlan is more stable, we have a public ceremony for all to attend,” he continued, his heart now feeling as though it was fluttering. “I want nothing more than to call myself your husband, and I find myself drowning in the thought of it.”

Byleth hummed quietly as she dropped the door’s key onto the floor, and moved her hands so that she could take hold of the sides of his face. “Seteth… Only you could get yourself so flustered overthinking when we should marry,” she chuckled, leaning over to him and lightly pressing her lips to his nose. “I would marry you anywhere, at any time. Just say when, and I am yours…”

“Hearing you say that… Makes me the happiest man in Fódlan, my love.”

She laughed quietly as he eagerly peppered her lips with small, soft kisses. “And you saying that makes me the happiest woman. I love you, Seteth…”

“And I love you too, Byleth.”


End file.
